An Exmouth woman has been fined more than £1,400 after pleading guilty to fly-tipping.

Jill O’Donnell dumped more than 20 bags of domestic waste and some old carpets in the service lane behind her former home in Waverley Road during the summer of last year, Exeter Magistrates Court was told.

Magistrates heard that she ignored advice given by East Devon District Council (EDDC) about waste which had built up in her garden, instead choosing to dump it.

She was issued with a fixed penalty ticket, but it was not paid and prosecution proceedings were subsequently brought. O’Donnell, now of Old Bystock Drive, was fined £1,451, and also ordered to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £145.

Magistrates reduced her fine by 10 per cent after taking her circumstances into account.

The chairman of the bench told O’Donnell: “It is clear that council officers bent over backwards to try to help you but you did not accept it. This was a deliberate act which we regard as a serious offence.”

In mitigation, the court heard O’Donnell had sought help from the council about the waste issue but she had misunderstood the consequences of placing her waste on the highway.

After the hearing, Ms O’Donnell told the Journal that she had not ‘dumped’ the waste but was waiting for it to be collected, following renovations made to her home.

She also claimed the ‘skip bags’ were only left at the rear of her property for two days.

Following the hearing, Councillor Tom Wright, EDDC’s portfolio holder for the environment, said: “The council will pursue any reports of fly-tipping and littering where the offender can be identified, and fixed penalty notices will be issued.

“For residents, there are plenty of opportunities to do the right thing with their waste and there is no excuse for not using the recycling and waste management facilities readily available.”

An EDDC spokesperson said the council would like to remind residents and businesses that they had a duty of care regarding their waste, and that the council will issue fixed penalties for fly-tipping domestic and commercial waste, and for littering. The spokesperson added that anyone using a contractor must obtain their full name, address and vehicle details and a written receipt because they could end up being liable if a third party fly-tips their waste.